Computer repair technician
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A Computer Repair Technician is someone who repairs, builds, and oversees the operation of computers for a company, a shop, or individual clients. There are techs that range from being self-taught, to some established education, to having all necessary credentials to work in a corporate environment.
The diagnosing of problems can range from a minor setting that is off, to spyware, and viruses, and as far as replacing hardware or an entire operating system.
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[edit] Tools of the Trade
The following is a partial list of tools the typical side-job, to full time tech should have. Since Windows dominates the PC market, this list caters to that fact.
[edit] For Home, Workbench, or Toolbag (Backpack)
- KVM switch
- Router, wireless type preferred
- Parts for Testing and Diagnosis: A known (working) good Network Interface Card (NIC), 3 [[Video Card]s (AGP, PCI, and PCI-e), Several Types of RAM of any speed (DDR, DDR2, and PC133 ), and an ATX 2.0 Power Supply Unit aka PSU with AT and ATX 1.0 adapter.
- Primary Computer Station for Research
- Secondary Computer Station for testing, scanning, etc.
- Speakers
- IDE to USB Adapter (3.5”, 2.5”, and Serial ATA
- Screw Kit
- Pliers and Cutters
- Nut-drivers
- Screwdrivers (including Mini-Precision Screwdriver)
- Clear Tape, and Superglue
- Flashlight
- Crimpers example and cable making kits
- Power Supply Tester
- Cans of Compressed Air, or Air compressor
- P.O.S.T. Tester and codebook example
- Digital Multimeter
- OEM Operating System CDs (Must be an OEM machine to legally be installed for Microsoft OSes)
- Commercial Internet Install CDs
- Hard Drive and RAM testing software
- Thumb drive, Portable Hard Drive, or Burned CD for tools and utilities
- Live CDs; You can find a list here.
- Laptop Computer (For a guaranteed working computer.)
- USB to PS/2, and PS/2 to USB Adapters
[edit] For Reselling or Spare Parts
- Power Supplies
- Memory
- Keyboards
- Mice
- Optical Drives: CD, CDRW, DVD, or DVD±RW
- Hard Drives
- Cables: USB, Network cables (CAT5)
- Common Add-On Cards: Modems, NICs, Sound Cards and Video Cards
- Fans
[edit] Free Utilities
- Driver Magician (unending trial)
- Antivirus
- Ad-Aware
- SpyBot Search & Destroy
- Ewido Anti-Spyware
- Hijackthis
- Some type of Registry Cleaner and here
- blocklist.reg
- MagicalJellyBean Keyfinder
- Adobe Flash Player and Shockwave Player
- QuickTime Alternative
- Real Alternative
- Java Runtime Environment
- Spyware Blaster
- Spyware Guard
- Compressed File Software (Winzip, WinRAR or 7-Zip)
- Firefox
- Opera
[edit] Suggested Premium Utilities and Tools
- Imaging Programs, such as Norton Ghost
- Commercial Antivirus Program (Norton, McAfee, PC-cillin, or ZoneAlarm)
[edit] Philosophies of Computer repair
Computer techs should warn of the imminent failure of a device on a system the owner may not be aware of, or have asked them to repair. Some have even provided their clients, at no additional charge, the updates, utilities, and settings they use on their own computers. This leaves a client feeling they have the same level of protection as their repairman. While some techs may not go this far, as it may slow down their return business, it also is good for word of mouth advertising.
A good tech also should think of the client's future with their machine. An end-of-life, or obsolete computer that has malfunctioned, or has failing parts, could be replaced. It may be cost effective to just discard and upgrade to newer parts, and discussed with the client. Often times obsolete systems must resort to used parts for repair, as newer one are no longer available, and even then the quality may be unknown, with no warranty to fall back on.
To achieve such a level of competence and trust with a client, they should have all updates for Windows Update, Spyware cleaners and blockers, an Antivirus, and all Plugins, such as Java, Shockwave, Flash, Quicktime, and a PDF Reader such as these.
